Lamp socket



y 12, 1942- A. ,G. MUELLER 7 2,282,875

LAMP SOCKET Filed Oct. 6,1959

I H V l :i'LNI IIIIIIIIIIIII/IIIAII 'IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIA Inventor:

I Adolf GMueqlerfl His Attornqg.

.lamp from engagement with the socket.

Patented May 12, 1942 LAMP SOCKET Adolf 'G. Mueller, Stratford, Conn.,assignor to General Electric Company, a corporation of New YorkApplication October'3, 1989, Serial No. 297,711

21 Claims.

My invention relates to lamp sockets and more particularly to a lampsocket for an electrical device such as a tubular lamp, or the like.

It is an object of my invention to provide a lamp socket so constructedand arranged as to permit ready and easy removal of a lamp after it hasbeen mounted thereon. Y

Another object of the invention is the provision of a lamp socket havingmeans to release the In the accompanying drawing, Fig. 1 is aperspective view of a tubular lamp provided;with a socket at each endconstructed in accordance with my invention; Fig. 2 is an end view ofthe socket partially broken away showing the lamp in seated position;Fig..3'is a sectional view through the lamp socket; Fig. 4 is anexploded view showing the lamp socket elements; Fig. 5 is a view similarto Fig. 2 showing the position of the lamp after operation of thereleasing means, and Fig. 6 is a view .of the bottom of the socket.Referring to the drawing a tubular lamp, which may be of the well-knownfluorescent type, is shown at I 0, the lamp being provided with spacedcontact prongs l l at each end. The lamp is supported at each end byspaced lamp sockets 12 which are constructed to receive the contactprongs.

Tubular lamps of the type described have/attained wide use as decorativelights and are customarily utilized with a variety'bf ornamentalfixtures. Many of these fixtures are provided with recesses littlelarger than the over-all dimensions of the lamp and, in addition, may beequipped with reflectors which snugly surround the lamp. These make itdificult for the fingers of an'operator to grasp the lamp to remove itfrom a fixture once it has been mounted therein.

To obviate these difliculties, I provide my lampj socket with a manuallyoperable means to disengage the lamp from engagement with the sockat andto raise it out of the planes of the socket and associated fixtures, sothat it may be easily grasped and removed from these devices.

Turning now to the construction of the lamp Merging with the slots l4and ex- Each of the contact means comprises a spring blade member I 9having a contact-engaging portion seated within the respective slot It.The contact-engaging portion is formed at one end of the contact memberwith an S-shaped configuration havinga curved surface 20 which closelyengages the contact prong, as shown in Fig. 2, to hold it securely inposition against the. edge of the guide slot it. Adjacent the curvedsurface 20 is an outwardly extending flared end surface Zl which engagesthe contact prong as it is inserted in the socketto spring the contactblade l9 outwardly, so that the contact prong may be moved to seatedposition. The curved surface 20 and flared end 2i-form the S-shapedprong engaging means aforementioned.

At their other ends the contact blades it. are secured by any suitablemeanasuch as'a spot weld, to terminal members 22 which may be formed ofrelatively heavy strip stock in contradistinction mane flexible contactblades which maybe formed of spring bronze. Each terminal .plate isseated in a respective recess 23 formed in the bottom of the base and isprovided with a stantially the same as that disclosed in the co- 2pending application .of Joe Yoder,Se rial No.

239,625 filed November 9, 1938, which is assigned to the same assigneeas the present application. In s'omecases, it is desirable to providesuch av socket with a manually operable means to release the'lamp fromengagement with the-socket. To this end, a member 26 is slidably mountedin a groove or opening .21 in the base l3. As shown moreparticularly byFigs. 2, 3 and 4, the member is disposedbetween the opposed contact,mem-

bers I9 and-the groove 2'! is formed in the base intermediate the guideslots I4. At one end, the

memberextend above the outer or upper edge I 6 of the housing and at theother end the member is provided with beveled surfaces 28.which engagethe contact blades l9 and flex them outa wardlyf away from the memberwhenever the latter is depressed. This means that when the member 26 isdepressed or moved vertically in the guiding groove 21, it flexes thecontact members and moves them out of engagement with the contact prongsll.

While the manually operable member 26makes it possible to disengagethefllamp from the grip of the socket contact members-so that it may beeasily lifted out of the socket, it is desirable to where itis engagedby the body of the lamp.

The other end of the spring is; bent in a reverse curve and is securedto a plate 30 of insulating material by any suitable means, such as arivet 3!. The plate of insulating material closes the recesses 23 in thebottom of the base after the terminal members 22 have been insertedtherein, and the plate is secured to the base by any suit-' able means,for example, the drive-pins 32. In this way, the contact members, aswell as the spring 29, are held securely in position on the base. Inorder to'provide a recess 33 for the heads of the terminal screws,abarrier plate 34 of insulating material, such as sheet fiber, is mountedon the base by means of the insulating plate 30 which engages aturned-over edge or lip 35 of the barrier plate. To mount the lampsocket upon a supporting member, such as the sheet metal plate 36, abolt and nut 31 and 38,

respectively, are mounted on the insulating plate 30 and thehead of thebolt engages the supporting plate in the manner shown by Fig. 3. Anopening 39 in the plate receives that portion of the base housing theterminal screw. The barrier plate 3| and the end of the base extenddownwardly below the plane of the closure plate 30 into engagement withthe opening 39 in the supporting member to position the socket, in themanner shown in Fig. 3.

It will be apparent from Fig. 2 that as the cont'act'prongs of the lampare guided by the 3 slots [4 into seating engagement with the socketcontact members, the body of the, lamp will engage the spring 23and'flex it downwardly so that the spring is biased in a manner to forcethe lamp upwardly out of engagement with the lamp socket. However, thelamp is retained in seated position on the base, as shown by dotted linein Fig. 2, notwithstanding the biasing action of the spring 29 becausethe contact prong engaging portions of the contact members engage thecontact prongs and hold them seated securely in position. When it isdesired to remove the lamp from the lampholder, the manually operablemember 26 is depressed thereby moving the contact members out ofengagement with the contact prongs. When this occurs, the spring 23 isfree to move the lamp out of engagement with the contact prongs and outof the plane of the lamp socket to the position shown in dotted line byFig. 5. i 1

It will be seen that according to my invention it is possible to removea lamp from a lamp socket merely by depressing the movable member 26.Inasmuch as the member extends for a distance above the upper edge ofthe lamp socket, it is easily accessible and readily engaged by the handof the user. This means that my lamp socket is particularly adapted foruse in those structures, or with those fixtures, in which it isparticularly difficult to gain access to the lamp to grasp it forremoval from the socket. The

spring contacts act to reset the handle member 26 just as soon as thelamp is removed from the socket.

What I claim as new and desire to secure b Letters Patent of the UnitedStates, is:

1. In combination, a base of insulating material having spaced parallelslots in one face extending to an edge thereof, contact members in saidslots adapted to engage the prongs of an electric lamp, or the like,means mounted on said base to release said contact members fromengagement with said prongs, and means biasing the lamp to move theprongs out of engagement with said contact members upon operation ofsaid releasing means.

2. In combination, a base of insulating material having spaced parallelslots in one face extending to an edge thereof, movable contact meanslocated in said slots and adapted to engage the contact prongs of anelectric device to hold them in position on said base, and meansincluding a manually operable member cooperating with said movablecontact means for releasing the contact prongs and moving them out ofengagement with said contact members.

3. In combination, a base of insulating material having spaced parallelslots in one face extending to an edge thereof, movable contact meanslocated in said slots and adapted to engage the contact prongs of alamp, or the like, asthey are moved through said slots into position onsaid base, and means to eject the contact prongs from engagement withsaid contact means.

4. In combination, a base of insulating material having spaced parallelslots in one face extending to an edge thereof, movable contact membersin said slots adapted to engage the contact prongs of an electricaldevice as they are guided through said slots into position on said base,and manually operable means including a spring engaging the device forejecting the contact prongs from engagement with the contact members.

5. In combination, a base having spaced parallel slots in one faceextending to an edge thereof, contact members having prong-engagingsurfaces located in said slots adapted to engage and receive the contactprongs of an electrical device as said device is moved verticallydownwardly into I seating position on said base and manually operablemeans to release said contact members from retention by said prongs andsimultaneously raise said electrical device out of seated position onsaid base.

6. In combination, a base of insulating material having spaced parallelslots in one face extending to an edge thereof, contact means located insaid slots for engaging the contact prongs of an electrical device,'aslidable member engaging said contact means for moving them away fromthe contact prongs, and a member biasing the electrical device to moveit and the contact prongs out of engagement with said contact means uponmovement of said member.

7. In a socket structure, a base of insulating material having spacedparallel slots in one face extending to an edge thereof, movablecontacts located in said slots for engaging the contact prongs ofanelectrical device as they are guided by said slots into seatedposition on said base, a member slidably mounted on said basecooperating with said movable contacts to move them out of'engagementwith the contact prongs, and a spring engaging the electrical devicewhen in seated position and being biased to move the contact prongs outof the plane of said contact means upon movement of said member.

8. In combination, a base having spaced parallel slots in one faceextending to an edge thereof, movable contacts in said slots forengaging the spaced contact prongs'of an electrical device as they areguided by saidslots into seated position on said base, a member movably,mounted on said base cooperatingwith said'cont'act'sto move them out'ofengagement withthe contact prongs, and spring means biased by seating ofthe electricaldevice on. said base and being operable to move thecontact prongs out of the planes of said movable contacts upon movementof said member. I f e 9. In a socket structure, a base of insulatingmaterial, movable contact means on said base adapted to receive thecontact members of an electrical device as the device is seatedfon saidbase, a manually operable, member movably mounted on said base and beingoperatively connected to said contact means to move the latter out ofengagement with the contact membersof the. electrical device, and aspring engaging the electrical device and biased by seating of thedevice on said, base to move the device out .of

' the plane of the baseupon movement of said manually operable member.

said prongs against outward sliding movement from said recesses, saidholderhaving manually operable means made of insulating material andlocated to contact with said holding members at points spaced from saidhooklike ends when said manually operable-means are actuated, to force10. In combination, a base of insulating material having spaced parallelslotsin one face extending to an edge thereof, movable contacts in saidslots for engaging the spaced contact prongs of an electrical device, amember slidably mounted on said base between said contacts and engagingthem to move them away from engagement with the contact prongs, and aspring extending beyond the confines of said base, said spring engagingthe electrical device and being biased by seating of the device on saidbase to move it out of the plane of the base upon movement of saidslidable member.

11. In combination, a base of insulating material having spaced parallelslots in one face extending to an edge thereof, movable contacts in saidslots for engaging the spaced contact prongs of an electrical device anda member slidably mounted on said base between said contacts andcooperating with said contacts to move them away from engagement withthe contact prongs.

12. In combination, a base of insulating-material having spaced parallelslots .in one face extending to an edge thereof, flexible spring contactmembers having curved contact surfaces for engaging and gripping thespaced contact prongs of an electrical device as the prongs are moveddownwardly into said slots and a member slidably mounted on said basebetween said parallel slots and having projecting surfaces cooperatingwith the flexible spring blades to move them outwardly away from oneanother out of engagement with the contact prongs.

13. In combination, a base of insulating material having spacedparallel. slots in one face extending to anedge thereof, movable contactmeans located in said slots having surfaces en gaging the contact prongsof an electrical device to hold them in position on said base, and amanually operable member cooperating with said movable contact means forreleasing the contact prongs from engagement with the contact surfaces.

14. A holder for an electric lamp which has adjacent and external andparallel contact prongs, said holder having parallel recesses which areopen at their outer ends and which are also open at a face of saidholder so that the prongs can be slid into said recesses through saidopen ends in a direction which is perpendicular to said prongs, saidholder having a pair of movsaid holding members to, inoperativepositions in which said hooklike ends clear said recesses.

1 5.'A holde r made of insulatingmaterial and having Slots through whichthe prongs of a lamp can be inserted, said slots being open at theirouter ends andat a face of theholder, holding members made of conductingmaterial, said holding members being spacedand-insulated from eachother, each said holding member having a body and also having a leg atthe inner end of said body, each leg beingat an angle .to the respectivebody,,th e tip of each leg being located in a respective recess of theholder,,said bodies respectively having hook-portions at thier outerends and whichare adapted to partially surround the prongs soas to holdthe prongs in the holder when said holdingmembers are in operativeposition, the bodies of said holding members being movable-towards eachother and away from. each other, said, holding members being made ofresilient material and being biased by their resilience to operativeposition, said holder prongs can he slid inwardly into said recessesthrough said open ends in a direction perpendicular to said prongs, saidholder having a pair of movable holding members connected thereto, saidholding members being made of conducting material and being insulatedfrom each other,

each said holding member having a holding portion which is shaped toembrace and to lock a respective, prong when said holding member is inoperative position, so as to retain the prong in said slot when outwardpressure is exerted on said holding portion by the respective prong,each said holding portion obstructing a respective slot between theinner end and the outer end of said slot when said holding member is inoperative position, each said holding member being movable to aninoperative position, said holder having manually-operable control meanswhich are movable relative to the holder, said control means beingadapted to control the 10- cations of said holding members either inoperative or in inoperative position.

17. A socket for use with an electrical device consisting of a lamphaving spaced contact prongs comprising, in combination, a housing ofinsulating material, spaced contact members in said housing havingcurved prong engaging surfaces, means in said housing for guiding thelamp prongs into engagement with said contact members as said prongs areseated in said hous ing by movement transversely to the axes oi the lampand prongs, and spring means biased by seating of the electrical devicein said housing tending to move the lamp prongs out of sea tigiiposition in said housing, the curved prong en? gaging surfaces of saidcontact members engag f ing .the lamp prongs to hold theni in seatedD9811 tion against the biasing action of said spring, means. 18. Asocl-ze'tfor use with an electricaldevice; consisting or a lamp havingspaced contact: prongs comprising, in combination, ahousing 01insulating material, spaced contact members in said housing, means insaid housing guiding the lamp prongs into engagement with said contactmembers as the prongs are seated in said housing by movementtransversely to the longitudinal axes of the lamp and prongs, and springmeans cooperating with the electrical device and being biased by seatingof the electrical device in said housing to. press the lamp contactprongs into engagement with the contact members.

19. A socket for use with an electrical device consisting of a lamphaving spaced contact prongs comprising, in combination, a housing ofinsulating material, spaced contact members in said housing, means insaid housing guiding the lamp prongs into engagement with said contactmembers as the prongs are seated in said houssaid housing to press thelamp 'contact prongs into seated engagement with the contact memers.

20. A socket for use with an electrical device consisting of a lamphaving spaced contact prongs comprising, in combination, a housing ofinsulating material, spaced contact members in said housing adapted toengage the lamp prongs and hold them in seated position in said housing,means on said housing guiding the lamp prongs into engagement with saidcontact members as said prongs are seated in said housing by movementtransversely to the axis of the electrical 'device and spring meansbiased by seating of the electrical device on said housing to eject theelectrical device from seated position upon release of the lamp prongsfrom engagement with said contact members. v

21. A socket for use with an electrical device consisting of a lamphaving spaced contact prongs comprising, in combination, a housing ofinsulating material, spaced contact members in said housing adaptedtoengage the lamp prongs and hold them in seated position in said housing,means on said housing guiding the lamp prongs into engagement with saidcontact members as said prongs,are seated in said housing by move- ADOLFG. MUELLER.

